Chapter 11: Your first leads: the Vault and Price Drops
What you'll learn: how to get the most out of the Vault, how to use Price Drops to catch fresh discounts, and the three tools that stop good leads slipping away: the Sourcing List, Alerts and Replenishables.
Back to the Vault
You met the Vault in Chapter 4.4: profitable matches ArbiSource has already found across its built-in US retailers, filtered by your account filters. It's the fastest place to start each day. Three habits help:
- Run Check Restrictions first, so you only spend time on products you can sell.
- Sort by what matters to you today, such as profit, ROI or sales.
- Remember the data was correct when it was found. Prices and stock change, so check the retailer and the Amazon listing before you buy.
Nothing in your Vault? It's nearly always the filters. Chapter 13 has a step-by-step troubleshooter.
Price Drops
Price Drops is included from the Pro plan. It lists products whose price at a retailer has just fallen by 25% or more. These are often short-lived: a clearance, a flash sale or a price change that may not last.
- Fresh by design: price drops are removed after 48 hours, so you only see recent ones. Price and stock were correct when the drop was found but aren't refreshed, so always check the retailer's site before buying.
- Mornings are busiest. ArbiSource checks retailers' clearance sections every morning, so the best drops often appear early in the day.
- Each result shows the drop as a badge at the start of the header (for example -50%), with the old buy price crossed out next to the new one.
- Filters work as usual (open them with the funnel button), plus a Discount % filter (25% to 90%). You can also sort (for example Most Recent) and choose which Sell Price to compare against. One useful trick: combine the average profit filter with profit and ROI set below zero. You'll see drops that aren't profitable today but normally are at their usual price, which can be worth watching.
- Check Restrictions (top right) removes products you can't sell, just as in the Vault.
Unmatched. Use the MATCHED / UNMATCHED toggle at the top of the page. Unmatched lists price drops ArbiSource couldn't confidently match to an Amazon listing. Some are products that aren't on Amazon; others are matches waiting to be found. The action bar lets you search for each one on Amazon or Google by name or barcode, and you can hide stores or categories you don't want.
▶ Watch Miles (Flips4Miles) work through Price Drops, from 5:15 (to about 6:30).
ArbiSource's own Introducing Price Drops video also explains Unmatched results. It was recorded on an earlier version of the interface.
The Sourcing List: your shortlist
Results in the Vault and in scans are deleted after 7 days. Anything you add to your Sourcing List stays until you remove it.
- Add from any result using the action bar.
- Auto refresh: click the refresh icon at the top of the list (Enable Auto Refresh) and ArbiSource updates all the results in your Sourcing List once a day. Once it's on, the same icon reads Disable Auto Refresh; click it again to switch it off. Next to it are CHECK RESTRICTIONS, Sort By, a delete icon and a download icon.
- Export your list as a CSV with the download icon to review it offline or keep a record (exports are included from the Pro plan).
- Mark as replenishable for products you could buy again and again (below).
Treat it as your workbench: save anything interesting, then run the Lead Check (Part 5) on each one. During your trial, aim to turn at least one Sourcing List lead into a Test-buy.
Alerts: let ArbiSource keep watch
An alert tells you when a product hits a price, or comes back into stock, so you don't have to keep checking. Alerts are included from the Pro plan. Create one from the alert icon on any result:
- Amazon price alert: tells you when the Amazon price reaches a level you choose (at or below, or at or above). Ideal for leads you're watching, and for A2A flips (Chapter 16).
- Retailer alerts: for one store or all retailers on ArbiSource, with a price alert, a stock alert (back in stock or out of stock), or both. With both, you're only notified when both conditions are met.
- Business prices: an Amazon price alert can also Include Business Pricing, so Amazon Business offers count too.
- How you hear about it: always in the app, plus email or Discord if you choose. Discord on your phone gives you instant notifications.
Manage everything from the Alerts page. If you reach your plan's alert limit, saving a new alert replaces your oldest one (you're asked to confirm first). A "Watch" decision in the Lead Check pairs naturally with an alert.
Replenishables: products you buy again and again
A replenishable is a product you can buy repeatedly at a fairly stable price, rather than a one-off clearance. A handful of dependable replenishables makes your sourcing far more predictable. Replenishables are included from the Pro plan.
- Mark a product as replenishable from the Sourcing List, or click ADD REPLENISHABLE on the Replenishables page.
- Each replenishable lists every source ArbiSource knows, with profit and ROI for each, so you can buy from the cheapest.
- Each product's header shows its current Stock. Click the bell (Edit Stock Alert) to set your stock alert, so you're reminded when it's time to reorder. Show Low Stock Only narrows the page to items running low, and a counter at the top shows how many replenishables you've used. Keeping fast sellers in stock also helps you avoid Amazon's low-inventory-level fee once it applies to you (5.2).
A simple daily routine
- Check Price Drops (ideally in the morning), then the Vault.
- Run Check Restrictions and remove what you can't sell.
- Add anything promising to your Sourcing List.
- Run the Lead Check on your shortlist: Buy, Test-buy, Watch (set an alert) or Pass.
- Check your Replenishables for anything due to reorder.
Checklist
- I run Check Restrictions in the Vault before reviewing leads
- I know Price Drops are falls of 25% or more, kept for 48 hours, and best checked in the morning
- I save leads to my Sourcing List so they aren't deleted after 7 days
- I've set at least one price or stock alert
- I know how to mark a product as replenishable